The French diplomat has reviewed achievements in bilateral relations over the past time and laid stress on cooperation priorities in the time to come in an interview given to the People’s Army Newspaper’s reporter.
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French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet |
According to the diplomat, this year has witnessed a number of outstanding events that carry important significance in bilateral ties. Firstly, in October, Party General Secretary To Lam participated in the 19th Francophonie Summit and paid an official visit to France. He and French President Emmanuel Macron held first official talks, manifesting the two countries’ friendship and the trust both sides had for each other. Attentively, the upgrading of the two countries’ relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in this visit showed France’s commitment to accompanying and supporting Vietnam in development and overcoming global challenges such as climate change, helping the Southeast Asian country develop strongly, rapidly, and sustainably.
Secondly, Vietnam successfully organized the ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (1954-2024) with the presence of French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and Secretary of State for War Veterans and Memory Patricia Miralles. That demonstrated that the two countries looked back upon the past to look toward a brighter future and leave the past part of their memory. It also sent a message to the people of both countries and in the world that countries, once foes, now can sit down and cooperate.
And the last event was the inauguration and operation of a section of the urban rail line No.3 in Hanoi. This is a symbolic structure of the France-Vietnam cooperative ties with concessional loans of over EUR 500 million from France. That proved France’s willingness to cooperate and accompany Vietnam in sustainable development.
Regarding the two countries’ cooperation priorities in the coming time amid global challenges of climate change and digital transformation, the French diplomat informed that next year, the Western European country will host many important international conferences such as those in AI, climate change, and the U.N. Ocean Conference.
He shared that France wishes to accompany Vietnam in energy transition and development to ensure both Vietnam's growth and environmental impact requirements. The country stays ready to support Vietnam in developing nuclear power plants since it has over 60 years of experience in the field.
In addition, France pays attention to the cooperation in railway transport and shows deep interest in agriculture and eco-agriculture development to ensure sustainability.
He recalled General Secretary To Lam’s citing of the French proverb “When we want, we can, and when we can, we must do,” with the will and determination to develop the bilateral relationship in a deeper and more practical manner. He underlined that both France and Vietnam want the world to develop in the direction of respecting international laws, freedom of navigation, values, and ensuring peace and stability in the world. Therefore, according to him, participating and coordinating in multilateral mechanisms, contributing to ensuring peace and stability in the world is an area of international cooperation in which both nations have much room to promote.
Translated by Mai Huong